Banks Want You to Help Fight Cybercrime

Cybercrime against banking customers has become so prevalent that banks are asking people to help prevent theft. According to a USA Today article:

The banking industry wants consumers to monitor their online accounts for unauthorized transactions on a “continuous, almost daily, basis,” says Doug Johnson, the [American Banking Association's] vice president of risk-management policy. That’s because PCs and smartphones have become “the online bank branch for a lot of individuals,” he says. “The customer needs to really recognize that security is most effective when they work in partnership with their financial institution.”

Cyberattacks originate from a variety of sources around the world. At the end of 2009, there were 65,098 Trojans, up from 4,295 at the beginning of the year, that were designed to steal from online bank accounts.

The best thing you can do to keep online savings accounts and checking accounts safe is to guard your information and never reveal passwords to other individuals. Don’t be fooled by emails that instruct you to provide personal information such as social security numbers and passwords.

Phishing attempts via email are rampant and you should always ignore them. If you need to contact your bank regarding  a savings, checking, or other account, go to the official website or call the official phone number for customer service.

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